Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars Book

I bought this book hoping to find a quick guide to uniform ranks and insignia and was not disappointed.

As with all MAA series titles, this has a comprehensive amount of information in an easy to read format; covers the Polish Army of 1939, and the various exile forces that came later as well as forces in Poland under German occupation.

Sidebars include Polish rank insignia in a nicely done monochrome chart, plus diagrams of Polish divisional insignia as worn by expatriate forces under Canadian and British command later in the war. Also a nice diagram of Polish and German divisions in the fighting of 1939.

The photos from the early war period are dark and murky, no doubt a problem with the originals themselves and no reflection on the quality of the publisher - the late war photos are nicely reproduced.

Colour plates by Richard Hook are extremely well done, on a par with Chappell; perhaps a little grainier than Volstad, the poses and general layout are on a par with the latter. Great variety in the facial expressions, too, nice touch.

Text deals with the history of Polish forces in general, and provides a list of sources. Unlike coverage of other forces, little is said of uniforms, insignia, weapons, or organization outside of the colour plate captions. Those interested in the more detailed historical treatment will enjoy this; those hoping for more detail on small unit organization, weaponry, etc. will be disappointed and need to look elsewhere.